12/11/2006

I’m working on my top albums of 2006 list. I’ll have my list posted probably Thursday because I need to have it done Wednesday for my “Top Albums/ Releases of 2006” special on my radio show. In the meantime, though, here is a list of some good albums from 2006. Have I missed any? What are your favorites?

In no particular order:

Eric Bachmann To the Races

Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America

Girl Talk Night Ripper

Damien Jurado And Now That You’re In My Shadow

Beirut Gulag Orkestar

Sufjan Stevens Avalanche

Sufjan Stevens Songs for Christmas box set

Long Winters Putting the Days to Bed

Cat Power The Greatest

David Bazan Fewer Moving Parts EP

Soft Drugs In Moderation EP

Johnny Cash American V

Mountain Goats Get Lonely

Fionn Regan End of History (came out in england at least)

Bishop Allen Month EPs

ms john soda notes and the like

Danielson Ships

V/A Eccentric Soul 9: Big Mack Label

V/A Eccentric Soul 11: Good God! a Gospel Funk Hymnal

Elvis Perkins Ash Wednesday

Built to Spill You in Reverse

Album Leaf Into the Blue Again

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy The Letting Go

Swan Lake Beast Moans

Belle and Sebastian Life Pursuit

Mates of State Bring it Back

Mogwai Mr. Beast

Centro-Matic Fort Recovery

Thoughts?

[Also, I’ve been rediculous this year in CD purchasing. The only albums among that list that I don’t personally own: Fionn Regan, ms john soda, Danielson, V/A Big Mack, Built to Spill, Belle and Sebastian, Centro-Matic. I’ve heard all of those extensively, though.]

11 Responses to “top albums of 2006?”

The ones on this list that I immediately fell for: Beirut, Sufjan, Long Winters, David Bazan, Fionn Regan and Album Leaf.
I’m pretty excited to hear the Eric Bachmann, Cat Power and Mountain Goats, as there are songs from those albums that I am in love with.

I said the list was arbitrarily long. I did not claim that the items on the list had been arbitrarily chosen. Since you decided to explain your selection critera I will point out the following: having a known ordinal is a peculiar requirement for membership to an unordered list.

I believe “Be Still Please” by Portastatic deserves a spot on your list. If you haven’t listened to it the requisite 5-10 times, then get listening. “Sour Shores”, “Black Buttons”, “I’m in Love (with Arthur Dove)”, “You Blanks” (despite the rampant use of the F-word), and “Cheers and Applause” are all excellent songs. The rest of the songs on the album are pretty good, too.

Colin, yeah, I should get listening–I’ve actually asked for that one for Christmas (based on your recommendation). I know my list is never going to be perfect. Like my list from last year is still pretty good, but since then some albums (like The Hold Steady’s Separation Sunday) have had a chance to grow on me.

There are a number of albums that I realize I’m not going to be able consider for the list because I haven’t had a chance to digest them yet, like the +/- album, the Early Day Miners record, and that Portastatic album. There’s just too much good music out there!

Also, the f-bomb can add to a song; for example, “The Blankest Year” by Nada Surf, in part because of it’s pretty melodic repeated use of that word.

I am as big a Flaming Lips fan as there is, and I don’t think the new album is that good. It certainly doesn’t hold up to Yoshimi or Soft Bulletin. But even if those albums never existed, I still wouldn’t think the new album was very good.

I really love the TV on the Radio record but wish it was about half as long.

I didn’t think it was that great a year for releases. I can’t think of anything else off the top of my head. I didn’t like the Cat Power, Built to Spill, or Bonny Prince Billy that much, and I like all three of them very much.